A 3-year-old girl saw Santa eating alone. So she joined him

Gracie Wilson, 3, of Henderson, Ky., was having breakfast with her parents at the same restaurant as Santa Claus. But the older white-haired, white-bearded, well-bellied man with round gold-rimmed glasses and red suspenders was eating alone. So she joined him.

After a hug and a "Hi, Santa," "She pulled up a chair and they just started having a conversation like they knew each other for years," Gracie's mother, Lindsey Wilson, told NBC News.

The toddler was worried Santa had no one to talk with. Gracie's mom told TODAY. She and her husband didn't want Gracie to bother the man in the red pants at the Bob Evans restaurant chain.

"As soon as we walked in, Gracie was saying, 'Look Mommy, he's here,' and "Daddy, look, it's Santa!' He obviously heard her because 3-year-olds aren't quiet by any stretch of the imagination. We didn’t know if he wanted to eat and be left alone, but he said that if she wanted to come talk to him, it didn't bother him at all. He was open-arms welcoming to her," Wilson said.